Therefore, [since] we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, putting aside every weight and {the sin that so easily ensnares us}, let us run with patient endurance the race that has been set before us,

Now faith is the realization of what is hoped for, the proof of things not seen.

For the word of God [is] living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, both joints and marrow, and able to judge the reflections and thoughts of the heart.

Now without faith [it is] impossible to please [him], for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and is a rewarder of those who seek him.

[Although] God spoke long ago in many parts and in many ways to the fathers by the prophets,

Your lifestyle [must be] free from the love of money, being content with what you have. For he himself has said, "I will never desert you, and I will never abandon you."

And {just as} it is destined for people to die once, and after this, judgment,

not abandoning {our meeting together}, as [is] the habit of some, but encouraging [each other], and by so much more as you see the day drawing near.

For we do not have a high priest who is not able to sympathize with our weaknesses, but who has been tempted in all [things] in the same way, without sin.

who is the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, sustaining all [things] by the word of power. [When he] had made purification for sins through him, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday and today and {forever}.

And let us think about {how to stir one another up to love} and good works,

fixing our eyes on Jesus, the originator and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Therefore, [because we] have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.

Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.

And therefore these were fathered from one man, and [he] being as good as dead, as the stars of heaven in number and like the innumerable sand by the shore of the sea.

Therefore also he is able to save completely those who draw near to God through him, [because he] always lives in order to intercede on their behalf.

Therefore, since the children share in blood and flesh, he also in like manner shared in these [same things], in order that through death he could destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,

Marriage [must be] held in honor by all, and the marriage bed [be] undefiled, because God will judge sexually immoral people and adulterers.

and in this [passage] again, '{They will never enter} into my rest.'"

Therefore, brothers, [since we] have confidence for the entrance into the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus,

Therefore let us approach with confidence to the throne of grace, in order that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Obey your leaders and submit [to them], for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not [with] groaning, for this [would be] unprofitable for you.

Indeed, nearly everything is purified with blood according to the law, and apart from the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Brotherly love must continue.

Therefore, leaving behind the elementary message about Christ, let us move on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and faith in God,

in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all [things], through whom also he made the world,

but we see Jesus, for a short [time] made lower than the angels, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that apart from God he might taste death on behalf of everyone.

For [it is] impossible [concerning] those who have once been enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and become sharers of the Holy Spirit,

By faith we understand the worlds were created by the word of God, in order that what is seen did not come into existence from what is visible.

For [if] we keep on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve [the] living God?

but concerning the Son, "Your throne, O God, [is] {forever and ever}, and the scepter of righteous [is the] scepter of your kingdom.

Because of this, [it is] all the more necessary [that] we pay attention to the [things] we have heard, lest we drift away.

Let us hold fast to the confession of [our] hope without wavering, for the one who promised [is] faithful.

they will perish, but you continue, and they will all become old like a garment,

Since therefore it remains [for] some to enter into it, and the ones to whom the good news was proclaimed previously did not enter because of disobedience,

and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame will not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

just as also in another [place] he says, "You [are] a priest {forever} according to the order of Melchizedek,"

Therefore through him let us offer up a sacrifice of praise {continually} to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.

For the law, possessing a shadow of the good [things] that are about to come, not the form of things itself, [is] never able {year by year} by means of the same sacrifices which they offer without interruption to make perfect those who draw near.

For ground that drinks the rain that comes often upon it, and brings forth vegetation usable to those [people] {for whose sake} [it is] also cultivated, shares a blessing from God.

And have you completely forgotten the exhortation which instructs you as sons? "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, or give up [when you] are corrected by him.

But Christ has arrived [as] a high priest of the good [things] to come. Through the greater and more perfect tent not made by hands, that is, not of this creation,

how will we escape [if we] neglect so great a salvation which had [its] beginning [when it] was spoken through the Lord [and] was confirmed to us by those who heard,

These all died in faith without receiving the promises, but seeing them from a distance and welcoming [them], and admitting that they were strangers and temporary residents on the earth.

Therefore, holy brothers, sharers in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,

For indeed, [although you] ought to be teachers {by this time}, you have need of someone to teach you again the beginning elements of the oracles of God, and {you have need of} milk, not solid food.

Do not neglect hospitality, because through this some have received angels as guests without knowing [it].

By faith Abraham, [when he] was called, obeyed to go out to a place that he was going to receive for an inheritance, and he went out, not knowing where he was going.

Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,

But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, to the heavenly Jerusalem, and to tens of thousands of angels, to the festal gathering

thus also Christ, having been offered once in order to bear the sins of many, will appear for the second time without reference to sin to those who eagerly await him for salvation.

For you have not come to something that can be touched, and to a burning fire, and to darkness, and to gloom, and to a whirlwind,

And in this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case it is testified that he lives.

Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you; {considering the outcome of their way of life}, imitate their faith.

by which will we are made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

For those who say such [things] make clear that they are seeking a homeland.

Are they not all spirits engaged in special service, sent on assignment for the sake of those who are going to inherit salvation?

For Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands, a [mere] copy of the true [one], but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf,

For it was fitting for him for whom [are] all [things] and through whom [are] all [things] in bringing many sons to glory to perfect the originator of their salvation through sufferings.

But encourage one another {day by day}, as long as it is called "today," so that {none of you become hardened} by the deception of sin.

And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, "And let all [the] angels of God worship him."

who in the days of his flesh offered up both prayers and supplications, with loud crying and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard as a result of his reverence.

For this [is] the covenant that I will decree with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I am putting my laws in their minds and I will write them on their hearts, and I will be {their} God and they will be {my} people.

Therefore he was obligated to be made like his brothers in all [respects], in order that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in the things relating to God, in order to make atonement for the sins of the people.

not like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day I took hold of them by my hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant and I disregarded them, says the Lord.

and like a robe you will roll them up, and like a garment they will be changed; but you are the same, and your years will not run out."

Therefore, [since we] are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be thankful, through which let us serve God acceptably, with awe and reverence.

Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered,

Watch out, brothers, lest there be in some of you an evil, unbelieving heart, [with the result that you] fall away from the living God.

And because of this, he is the mediator of a new covenant, in order that, [because] a death has taken place for the redemption of transgressions [committed] during the first covenant, those who are the called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

let us approach with a true heart in the full assurance of faith, our hearts sprinkled [clean] from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

For the Lord disciplines the one whom he loves, and punishes every son whom he accepts."

which we have like an anchor of the soul, both firm and steadfast, and entering into the inside of the curtain,

But now he has attained a more excellent ministry, by as much as he is also mediator of a better covenant which has been enacted upon better promises.

and not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered once for all into the [most] holy place, obtaining eternal redemption.

Therefore let us fear, [while there] remains a promise of entering into his rest, that none of you appear to fall short of [it].

Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you hear his voice,

Consequently a sabbath rest remains for the people of God.

Now [this is] the main point in what has been said: we have a high priest such as this, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,

But [if it] produces thorns and thistles, [it is] worthless and near to a curse, whose end [is] for burning.

And if they remember that [land] from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return.

For a high priest such as this indeed is fitting for us, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and having become exalted [above] the heavens,

By faith Abraham, [when he] was tested, offered Isaac, and the one who received the promises was ready to offer his one and only [son],

And Moses [was] faithful in all his house as a servant, for a testimony to the things that would be spoken,

By faith Noah, having been warned about things not yet seen, out of reverence constructed an ark for the deliverance of his family, by which he pronounced sentence on the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

and assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous [people] made perfect,

For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham [as he] was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,

But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have trained their faculties for the distinguishing of both good and evil.

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has great reward.

Therefore, [when he] came into the world, he said, "Sacrifice and offering you did not want, but a body you prepared for me;

again he ordains a certain day, today, speaking by David after so long a time, just as had been said before, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts."

But this one, [after he] had offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God,

And no creature is hidden in the sight of him, but all [things are] naked and laid bare to the eyes of him to whom {we must give our account}.

in order that through two unchangeable things, in which [it is] impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge may have powerful encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before [us],

and being perfected, he became the source of eternal salvation to all those who obey him,

Take care [that] no one falls short of the grace of God; [that] no one growing up [like] a root of bitterness causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;

By faith Abel offered to God a greater sacrifice than Cain, by which he was approved that he was righteous, [because] God approved [him] for his gifts, and through it he still speaks, [although he] is dead.

And, {so to speak}, even Levi, the one who receives tithes, has paid tithes through Abraham.

Remember the prisoners, as [though you were] fellow-prisoners; [remember] the mistreated, as [though] [you] yourselves also are being [mistreated] in the body.

By faith Enoch was taken up, so that he did not experience death, and he was not found, because God took him up. For before his removal, he had been approved {as having been pleasing} to God.

since it would have been necessary for him to suffer many times from the foundation of the world, but now he has appeared once at the end of the ages for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of himself.

And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel and the prophets,

Now all discipline seems for the moment not to be joyful but painful, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness for those who are trained by it.

Concerning this {we have much to say and it is difficult to explain}, since you have become sluggish in hearing.

For if Joshua had caused them to rest, he would not have spoken about another day after these [things].

But my righteous one will live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul is not well pleased with him."

For he was expecting the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder [is] God.

But even if we are speaking in this way, dear friends, we are convinced of better [things] concerning you, and belonging to salvation.

Pray for us, for we are convinced that we have a good conscience, [and] want to conduct ourselves commendably in every [way].

For he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

from now on waiting until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet.

being designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

having reasoned that God [was] able even to raise [him] from the dead, from which he received him back also as a symbol.

By faith Jacob, [as he] was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped, [leaning] on the top of his staff.

with reference to whom it was said, "In Isaac your descendants will be named,"

equip you with every good [thing] to do his will, carrying out in us [what is] pleasing before him through Jesus Christ, to whom [be] the glory {forever}. Amen.

For [when] the priesthood changes, of necessity there is a change of the law also.

And they will not teach each one his fellow citizen and each one his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.

By faith also Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things that were going to happen.

For the one about whom these [things] are spoken belongs to another tribe from which no one has officiated at the altar.

where your fathers tested [me] by trial and saw my works

For you know that also afterwards, [when he] wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, because he did not find an occasion for repentance, although he sought it with tears.

you subjected all [things] under his feet. For in subjecting all [things], he left nothing [that was] not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all [things] subjected to him,

For the one who has entered into his rest has also himself rested from his works, just as God [did] from his own [works].

Now where [there is] forgiveness of these, [there is] no longer an offering for sin.

[He] also [says], "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will never remember again."

For where [there is] a will, [it is] a necessity [for] the death of the one who made the will to be established.

And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying,

By faith Joseph, [as he] was dying, mentioned about the exodus of the sons of Israel and gave instructions about his bones.

And we desire each one of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the full assurance of [your] hope until the end,

[that] no one [be] a sexually immoral or totally worldly [person] like Esau, who for one meal traded his own birthright.

considering {reproach endured for the sake of Christ} greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.

[by the] new and living way which he inaugurated for us through the curtain, that is, his flesh,

do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness,

By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the anger of the king, for he persevered as [if he] saw the invisible one.

You made him for a short [time] lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor;

For a will [is] in force concerning those who are dead, since [it is] never in force when the one who made the will is alive.

By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, in order that the one who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them.

And I especially urge [you] to do this, so that I may be restored to you more quickly.

[for] forty years. Therefore I was angry with this generation, and I said, 'They always go astray in their heart, and they do not know my ways.'

saying, "This [is] the blood of the covenant that God has commanded for you."

and to the noise of a trumpet, and to the sound of words which those who heard begged [that] not [another] word be spoken to them.

Now I urge you, brothers, bear with my word of exhortation, for indeed I have written to you {briefly}.

For [it is] evident that our Lord is a descendant of Judah, a tribe [with reference] to which Moses said nothing concerning priests.

For [when] every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the law, [he] took the blood of calves with water and scarlet wool and hyssop [and] sprinkled both the scroll itself and all the people,

choosing instead to be mistreated with the people of God [rather] than to experience the transitory enjoyment of sin,

As I swore in my anger, '{They will never enter} into my rest.'"

For surely he is not concerned with angels, but he is concerned with the descendants of Abraham.

Therefore not even the first [covenant] was ratified without blood.

And so, [by] persevering, he obtained the promise.

and could set free these who through fear of death were subject to slavery throughout all their lives.

saying, "Surely {I will greatly bless} you, and {I will greatly multiply} you."

And likewise he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the utensils of service with the blood.

but he with an oath by the one who said to him, "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, 'You [are] a priest {forever}'"),

And the spectacle was so terrifying [that] Moses said, "I am terrified and trembling."

For if the word spoken through angels was binding and every transgression and act of disobedience received a just penalty,

Know [that] our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I will see you, if he comes quickly [enough].

Grace [be] with all of you.

And again, "I will trust in him." And again, "Behold, I and the children God has given me."

By faith the walls of Jericho fell down [after they] had been marched around for seven days.

And it is still more clear, if another priest according to the likeness of Melchizedek arises,

and not in order that he can offer himself many times, as the high priest enters into the sanctuary {year by year} with blood not his own,

and [since we have] a great priest over the house of God,

For on the one hand a preceding commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness

For they disciplined [us] for a few days according to what seemed [appropriate] to them, but he [does so] for our benefit, in order that [we] can have a share in his holiness.

For he has spoken somewhere about the seventh [day] in this way: "And God rested on the seventh day from all his works,"

where Jesus, the forerunner for us, entered, [because he] became a high priest {forever} according to the order of Melchizedek.

In the same way God, [because he] wanted to show even more to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of his resolve, guaranteed [it] with an oath,

whose voice shook the earth at that time, but now he has promised, saying, "Yet once [more] I will shake not only the earth but also heaven."

For people swear by what is greater [than themselves], and the oath for confirmation [is the] end of all dispute for them.

For who, [when they] heard [it], were disobedient? Surely [it was] not all who went out from Egypt through Moses?

{while it is said}, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion."

And to whom did he swear [they would] not enter into his rest, except those who were disobedient?

Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you.

For it is testified, "You [are] a priest {forever} according to the order of Melchizedek."

For they could not endure what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned."

Therefore [it was] necessary [for] the sketches of the [things] in heaven to be purified with these [sacrifices], but the heavenly [things] themselves [to be purified] with better sacrifices than these.

For by this the people of old were approved.

By faith he lived in the land of promise as a stranger, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise.

(for the law [made] nothing perfect), but on the other hand [there is] the introduction of a better hope through which we draw near to God.

who has become [a priest] not according to a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life.

And with whom was he angry [for] forty years? [Was it] not with those who sinned, whose dead bodies fell in the wilderness?

And [so] we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.

and having fallen away, to renew [them] again to repentance, [because they] have crucified again for themselves the Son of God and held him up to contempt.

teaching about baptisms and laying on of hands, and resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.

by so much more Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.

who was faithful to the one who appointed him, as Moses also [was] in his household.

being able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and led astray, since he himself also is surrounded by weakness,

to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth of everything--in the first place, [his name] is translated "king of righteousness," and then also "king of Salem," that is, "king of peace";

For this one is considered worthy of greater glory than Moses, inasmuch as the one who builds it has greater honor than the house.

For a tent was prepared, the first [one], in which [were] the lampstand and the table and the presentation of the loaves, which is called the holy place.

And someone does not take for himself the honor, but is called by God, just as Aaron also [was].

but only the high priest [enters] into the second [tent] once a year, not without blood, which he offers on behalf of himself and the [sins] of the people committed in ignorance.

which [was] a symbol for the present time, in which both the gifts and sacrifices which were offered were not able to perfect the worshiper with respect to the conscience,

Anyone who rejected the law of Moses dies without mercy on [the testimony of] two or three witnesses.

containing the golden incense altar and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which [were] a golden jar containing the manna and the rod of Aaron that budded and the tablets of the covenant.

And by as much as [this was] not without an oath (for these on the one hand {have become priests} without an oath,

But see how great this man [was], to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth from the spoils!

And above it [were] the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat, about which it is not now [possible] to speak in detail.

a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord set up, not man.

Now these things having been prepared in this way, the priests enter into the first tent {continually} [as they] accomplish their service,

but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a fury of fire that is about to consume the adversaries.

and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the coming age,

Now the [phrase] "yet once [more]" indicates the removal of what is shaken, namely, things that have been created, in order that the things that are not shaken may remain.

And indeed those of the sons of Levi who receive the priesthood have a commandment to collect a tenth from the people according to the law, that is, from their brothers, although {they are descended from Abraham}.

And this we will do, if God permits.

And after the second curtain [was] a tent called the holy of holies,

Now if he were on earth, he would not even be a priest, [because there] are those who offer the gifts according to the law,

For every high priest is appointed in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices; therefore [it was] necessary [for] this one also to have something that he offers.

Now without any dispute the inferior is blessed by the more prominent.

and because of it he is obligated to offer [sacrifices] for sins {for himself also, as well as for the people}.

For to which of the angels did he ever say, "You are my son, today I have begotten you," and again, "I will be {his father}, and he will be {my son}"?

Now the first [covenant] had regulations for worship and the earthly sanctuary.

For by one offering he has perfected for all time those who are made holy.

For the law appoints men [as] high priests who have weakness, but the statement of the oath, after the law, [appoints] a Son, who is made perfect {forever}.

And, "You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the works of your hands;

For God [is] not unjust, [so as] to forget your work and the love which you demonstrated for his name [by] having served the saints, and continuing to serve [them].

For he did not subject to angels the world to come, about which we are speaking.

Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate, in order that he might sanctify the people by his own blood.

For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of people in the things relating to God, in order that he can offer both gifts and sacrifices on behalf of sins,

By faith Moses, [when he] was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,

But the one who did not trace [his] descent from them collected tithes from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises.

For you have need of endurance, in order that [after you] have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

For in that which he himself suffered [when he] was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.

By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if on dry land; the Egyptians, {when they made the attempt}, were drowned.

In calling [it] new, he has declared the former [to be old]. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old [is] near to disappearing.

For both the one who sanctifies and the ones who are sanctified [are] all from one, for which reason he is not ashamed to call them brothers,

For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow sprinkled on those who are defiled sanctify [them] for the ritual purity of the flesh,

For otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the ones who worship, having been purified once and for all, would no longer have any consciousness of sins?

For indeed our God [is] a consuming fire.

Then I said, 'Behold, I have come-- in the roll of the book it is written about me-- to do your will, O God.'

So then, we can say with confidence, "The Lord [is] my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?"

And [although they] all were approved through their faith, they did not receive what was promised,

For in finding fault with them he says, "Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, when I will complete a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,

Endure [it] for discipline. God is dealing with you as sons. For what son [is there] whom a father does not discipline?

Do not be carried away by various and strange teachings, for [it is] good [for] the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods by which those who participate have not benefited.

then he has said, "Behold, I have come to do your will." He takes away the first in order to establish the second,

For [when] God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater to swear by, he swore by himself,

How much worse punishment do you think the person will be considered worthy of who treats with disdain the Son of God and who considers ordinary the blood of the covenant by which he was made holy and who insults the Spirit of grace?

For consider the one who endured such hostility by sinners against himself, so that you will not grow weary in your souls [and] give up.

We have an altar from which those who serve in the tabernacle do not have the right to eat.

But someone testified somewhere, saying, "What is man, that you remember him, or the son of man, that you care for him?

but Christ [was faithful] as a son over his house, whose house we are, if we hold fast to our confidence and the hope we can be proud of.

having become by so much better than the angels, by as much as he has inherited a more excellent name than theirs.

And every priest stands every day serving and offering the same sacrifices many times, which are never able to take away sins.

They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by murder with a sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, impoverished, afflicted, mistreated,

And do not neglect doing good and generosity, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.

without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God--he remains a priest for all time.

For [it is] impossible [for] the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

You have not yet resisted to the point of [shedding your] blood [as you] struggle against sin.

So we must go out to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach.

in order that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and patience.

who serve a sketch and shadow of the heavenly [things], just as Moses was warned [when he] was about to complete the tabernacle, for he says, "See to it that you make everything according to the pattern which was shown to you on the mountain."

[It is] a terrifying [thing] to fall into the hands of the living God.

But if you are without discipline, in which all [legitimate sons] have become participants, then you are illegitimate and not sons.

"This [is] the covenant that I will decree for them after those days, says the Lord: I am putting my laws on their hearts, and I will write them on their minds."

By faith also, {with Sarah}, he received {the ability to procreate} even {past the normal age}, because he regarded the one who had promised [to be] faithful.

[When he] says above, "Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and [offerings] for sin you did not want, nor did you delight in," which are offered according to the law,

For I will be merciful toward their wrongdoings, and I will not remember their sins [any] longer."

By faith Moses, [when he] was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw the child [was] handsome, and they were not afraid of the edict of the king.

The Holy Spirit [was] making this clear, [that] the way [into] the holy place [was] not yet revealed, [while] the first tent was still in existence,

But in them [there is] a reminder of sins {year by year}.

Furthermore, we have had {our earthly fathers} who disciplined [us], and we respected [them]. Will we not much rather subject ourselves to the Father of spirits and live?

And others {experienced mocking and flogging}, and in addition bonds and imprisonment.

who through faith conquered kingdoms, accomplished justice, obtained what was promised, shut the mouths of lions,

By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, [because she] welcomed the spies in peace.

[while] God was testifying at the same time by signs and wonders and various miracles and distributions of the Holy Spirit according to his will.

But remember the former days in which, [after you] were enlightened, you endured a great struggle with sufferings,

And concerning the angels he says, "The one who makes his angels winds, and his servants a flame of fire,"

{For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us}, just as those also [did], but the message {they heard} did not benefit them, [because they] were not united with those who heard [it] in faith.

But to which of the angels has he ever said, "Sit down at my right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."

Therefore strengthen your slackened hands and your weakened knees,

But now they aspire to a better [land], that is, a heavenly [one]. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

Women received back their dead by resurrection. But others were tortured, not accepting release, in order that they might gain a better resurrection.

For we have become partners of Christ, if indeed we hold fast the beginning of [our] commitment steadfast until the end,

you did not delight in whole burnt offerings and [offerings] for sins.

For we know the one who said, "Vengeance [is] mine, I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people."

Thus also Christ did not glorify himself to become high priest, but the one who said to him, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you,"

concerning [instead] only food and drink and different washings, regulations of outward things imposed until the time of setting [things] right.

You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; because of this God, your God, has anointed you with the olive oil of joy more than your companions.

For if that first [covenant] had been faultless, occasion would not have been sought for a second.

who does not {need every day} like the former high priests to offer up sacrifices for his own sins [and] then for the [sins] of the people, because he did this once for all [when he] offered up himself.

Watch out that you do not refuse the one who is speaking! For if those did not escape [when they] refused the one who warned [them] on earth, much less [will] we [escape], [if we] reject the [one who warns] from heaven,

For yet "a very, very little [while], [and] the one who is coming will come and will not delay.

For we who have believed enter into rest, just as he has said, "As I swore in my anger, '{They will never enter} into my rest.'" And yet these works have been accomplished from the foundation of the world.

saying, "I will proclaim your name to my brothers; in the midst of the assembly I will sing in praise of you."

Therefore, let us make every effort to enter into that rest, in order that no one may fall in the same pattern of disobedience.

Thus if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood, for on the basis of it the people received the law, what further need [is there] for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek and not said to be according to the order of Aaron?

For every house is built by someone, but the one who built all [things] [is] God.

For everyone who partakes of milk [is] unacquainted with the message of righteousness, because he is an infant.

For you both sympathized with the prisoners and put up with the seizure of your belongings with joy [because you] knew that you yourselves had a better and permanent possession.

but he, because he continues {forever}, holds the priesthood permanently.

For here we do not have a permanent city, but we seek the [city] that is to come.

And indeed many {have become} priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing [in office],

and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and {to the sprinkled blood} that speaks better than Abel's [does].

But we are not among those who shrink back to destruction, but among those who have faith to the preservation of [our] souls.

For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sins are burned up outside the camp.

extinguished the effectiveness of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong from weakness, became mighty in battle, put to flight enemy battle lines.

[because] God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.

of whom the world was not worthy, wandering about on deserts and mountains and in caves and in holes in the ground.

sometimes being publicly exposed both to insults and to afflictions, and sometimes becoming sharers with those who were treated in this way.